The completion of new highway sections through Republika Srpska is expected by the end of 2025, barring unforeseen circumstances that could push the deadline to 2026, stated Nedeljko Ćorić, acting director of the Public Company “Highways of Republika Srpska,” in an interview with ATV.
He mentioned that the current priority project in Republika Srpska’s transportation infrastructure is the construction of the joint highway section from Sremska Rača to Bijeljina, funded by Srpska and Serbia with their own resources.
Ćorić recalled that Serbia announced an additional 10 million euros payment for this project.
This section is a priority for Republika Srpska because it will connect Banja Luka with Belgrade. In line with the operational financing plan of the governments of Republika Srpska and Serbia, we have already secured and invested 20% of our funds, and we expect Serbia to provide the planned 80%. The work is progressing smoothly, and we will intensify this dynamic in agreement with the contractor and supervision – explained Ćorić.
Speaking about the deadlines for road infrastructure construction, Ćorić expressed the expectation that this project will be completed by the end of 2025, not excluding the possibility of extending this deadline to early 2026 due to specific requirements in the contract’s implementation and the construction of new structures on this section.
We expect to complete another major project currently underway, the highway section on Corridor 5C from Kostajnica to Putnikov brdo, by 2026 – stated Ćorić.
He added that the financial agreement for the project from Bijeljina to Brčko is in the final phase of signing, and the bank’s consent is awaited for signing the contract for the Vukosavlje-Brčko section.
Ćorić specified that two major Chinese companies would work on these sections – “China State Construction Engineering Corporation,” the largest construction company in China, and a group of bidders, including “China Overseas Engineering Group Co,” “China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group Co,” and “China Construction Bank.”
Discussing plans for the coming period, he announced the initiative to connect the road section from Vukosavlje to the part of the highway towards Doboj, near the toll station in Kladari, for which there is interest.
I expect that we will make a quick decision and have contractors for this section – said Ćorić, adding that “the completion deadline for all started sections would not be less than five years, noting that it is ungrateful to predict deadlines in the field of road infrastructure due to circumstances that often cannot be influenced, which slows down the planned work dynamics.”
He emphasized that the section on Corridor 5C is of exceptional importance for the road network of Republika Srpska, which includes the opening of the bridge on the Sava River and the connection to the Belgrade-Zagreb highway, creating an open network of highways through Srpska, leading to increased traffic on highways, and consequently, higher toll revenues and better financial results.
Speaking about the traffic connection between Trebinje and Herzegovina with the rest of Republika Srpska and Serbia, he explained that due to the challenging terrain, “solutions have been sought for a year and a half on how to connect this part with the highway section Ćićevac-Bijeljina.”
Ćorić expressed confidence that the section from Višegrad towards Sarajevo will surely be realized in the next period. He added that there is currently a conceptual solution for the fast road from Bijeljina to Zvornik, and proposals are being sought for what next on the route from Zvornik, i.e., “whether we have enough financial capacity to build a fast road or expand the existing main road.”
The task we gave to a Chinese company is to find the best solution for building the road from Ustiprača to Trebinje, but under the condition that this new section exclusively passes through the territory of Republika Srpska, so that we do not face a situation like with the Brčko District and so that we do not have to worry about losing the highway – stated Ćorić.
Source: RTRS
